Legion near Judea at time of Jesus

[LonginusXXI]

I think the auxiliaries could get the job done, but Pilate was very limited in his men, (5 cohorts & 1 cavalry regiment) so if a full scale rebellion happened, Pilate would be screwed! Plus, the ethnicity of the soldiers (Samaritans, Idumeans) was a problem, (these groups were all hostile to the Jews) and these recruits might not have been the most disciplined men in the province. I think Pilate would have probably requested some legionary troops because of lack of discipline and bandits, (there's not much you can do with 2400 infantry and a small force of cavalry.)